The Secret Life of Pets 3

Chapter 45

Gasping quietly, Gidget's eyes widened with shock. Closing his eyes, Tiberius bowed his head as he whimpered, "He's gone..." Shaking, he turned away from the fluffy white Pomeranian and started to walk away for the third time. Sadness filling up inside of her, Gidget padded after him and spoke softly, "Tiberius, I'm... I'm so sorry..." The old hawk stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the cracked pavement. The small dog could see a tear running down parallel with the scar on his left eye. Quietly padding over so she could be right next to him, Gidget rested her head gently on his shoulder, careful not to touch his broken wing. "Gidget," Tiberius rasped softly, turning his head slightly to look at her as he continued, "Let me tell you something..." His mind entered a flashback...

It was a nice spring day on the apartment building's rooftop. Six months had passed since the red tailed hawk known as Tiberius had seen the Pomeranian Gidget who had claimed to be his best friend. So far, she had never come to see him. However, the hawk didn't mind much. He was laying on his owner's lap, purring as a gentle hand ran over his feathers. The two were sitting on the roof's bench, watching the sunset as the sky lit up with beautiful colors. The hawk's owner was whispering kind words to him, which made him purr even louder. Squeaking, Tiberius nuzzled the old man's hand lovingly.

"Change... it's an interesting factor of life."

Soon, the sun had vanished and had been replaced with the moon and stars. At the same time, Tiberius felt like something was wrong. He glanced up at his owner, letting out a tiny squeak. A small smile on his face, the old man whispered something else to the red tailed hawk, petting him. Leaning his head back, his owner closed his eyes. At the same time, his hand slipped off Tiberius's back and landed on the bench next to him. The old man made no moves, no sounds. There was just silence. One moment there was a breath, the next there was nothing.

Standing up, Tiberius squeaked, a look of confusion on his face. He nudged his owner's hand, waiting for him to react. However, it didn't move on its own and it felt like it was losing its warmth. Letting out two small shrieks, the red tailed hawk nuzzled the old man's face. He tried desperately to wake him up, even tugging on his jacket sleeve. All the while, his light brown eyes were brimming with tears. Panicking, the old hawk tipped his head back and let loose the loudest screech he could muster. He screeched his heart out, begging for someone to come. The hawk didn't stop, not even when his throat became raw and sore, until some people began arriving at the scene on the rooftop.

One man raced forward when he saw the two. Pushing Tiberius off the old man, he took off his owner's gray scarf and laid it down on the bench while he checked for a pulse. There were a handful of people up there now. One teen raced off to call 911 while a family led their children away. Many were crying. All the while, Tiberius was trying to stay with his owner but kept getting shoved away. Some people were even shouting at him to get away. Hearing footsteps behind him, the old hawk turned his head to the left just as a woman struck him in the eye with a small gardening rake. Screeching in pain, the red tail had no choice but to leave the scene. Looking at his owner one last time, Tiberius grabbed the gray scarf and took to the air.

"We're powerless against it..."

Flying to Central Park, Tiberius collapsed beside one of the ponds. Tears flowing down his face, the old hawk approached the water's edge and sobbed. He couldn't see a thing through his tears. Blinking and rubbing his eyes, he glanced down at the pond's surface and gasped quietly when he saw the savage looking cut running over his left eye from his forehead to the corner of his beak. Backing away from the water, the old hawk looked down at his owner's gray scarf. Picking it up, he wrapped it around his neck. Spreading his wings, he headed for Brooklyn, never once looking back...

"Unless we endure..." Tiberius mumbled. He turned his head away from Gidget. Placing a paw on his shoulder, the fluffy white Pomeranian whispered, "I wish I could've been there." Brushing her paw off, the old hawk muttered, "All I needed back then was a friend. And I had none." He began walking away. This time, the Pomeranian didn't stop him as she called to him, "Come visit anytime. I'll leave a window open." Pausing briefly, the hawk shook himself before continuing on his way. Gidget watched him with sad eyes.

At that moment, she heard something behind her that sounded like a mew.